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No.4 Mk1* Rebuild

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Category: Enfields
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URL: http://www.enfield-rifles.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=8678
Printed Date: March 28 2024 at 1:24am
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Topic: No.4 Mk1* Rebuild
Posted By: CanadianBrit
Subject: No.4 Mk1* Rebuild
Date Posted: January 08 2018 at 3:55pm
he!!o,

I have recently purchased my first Enfield No.4 Mk1* which has had the original wood stock cut down and "sportised", the barrel is the original 25.2 inches so I decided that this rifle would be ideal to return to its former Battlefield rifle state.

I purchased a complete wood stock furniture from e-bay.uk which claimed the wood is from war-stock and has never been issued.  The wood has a really dark and slightly sticky finish, which I think is Cosmoline (source http://www.enfield-rifles.com/cleaning-refinishing-and-restoratio_topic3473.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.enfield-rifles.com/cleaning-refinishing-and-restoratio_topic3473.html ) but I am loathed to go dipping my wood into boiling water just yet, until I am sure.

The wood furniture is complete and looks to be in very good condition, so I believe that this is never issued equipment from HMG war-stock.  Is there any other way of removing the Cosmoline/preserving and turning my woodwork into the beautiful Beech colour that I think is underneath?

Any help is greatly received.

Regards,

Canadian Brit



Replies:
Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: January 08 2018 at 7:05pm
welcome , use old towel or other rags to wrap it and heat it in the sun or with a hair dryer/heat gun , be careful to take your time and it will leach out leaving you with a nice stock set , if in the sun they suggest wraping in black plastic to take advantage of the heat absorbtion , 

you can initiate the process with a wipedown of mineral spirits to get rid or the outside coating , 


Posted By: MJ11
Date Posted: January 08 2018 at 7:15pm
Again pictures will get you a more accurate reply.

............Cheers.............




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The Spartans do not ask how many the enemies are but where they are


Posted By: CanadianBrit
Date Posted: January 08 2018 at 7:44pm
Thanks for the reply. Heat from the sun in Ontario right now isn't going to happen, but I really like the heat gun idea with the towel. I'll use the mineral sprits first then take a look at the coating, it might be that the wood isn't Beech after all.


Posted By: CanadianBrit
Date Posted: January 08 2018 at 7:45pm
I'll take some shots in the daylight, and post them up. Thanks for the reply.


Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: January 09 2018 at 4:40am
Marcus:

Just where in Ontario are you? (Its a large piece of acerage)

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Loose wimmen tightened here


Posted By: CanadianBrit
Date Posted: January 09 2018 at 4:44am
I’m in the Ottawa Valley, close to Pembroke.

Cheers

Marcus


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: January 09 2018 at 5:16am
No need for water, boiling or otherwise. water will raise grain & then you'll have to sand it back.

I like denatured Alcohol (Yellow Heet) with a disposable cloth (like a J-Cloth or similar

They don't shred or leave lint like paper towels.

Just wet the cloth with the Heet & scrub vigorously, change the cloth as it gets dirty & keep going til it doesn't get dirty anymore.
Now leave overnight to evaporate & buff with grey or used (but clean) green Scotchbrite.

The wood will be bone dry, so get some oil of your choice in there to start the refinish.



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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: January 09 2018 at 10:20am
Originally posted by CanadianBrit CanadianBrit wrote:

I’m in the Ottawa Valley, close to Pembroke.

Cheers

Marcus


AHA! Pembroke..We have hunt cabin & cottages north end of Ottawa Valley - Bancroft, Maynooth, L'amble & Bird's Creek.



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Loose wimmen tightened here


Posted By: CanadianBrit
Date Posted: January 09 2018 at 1:52pm
I took some Photos:

This is my Lee Enfield next to the new wood furniture.



Next is the stock - you might be able to see the "imprint" of the bubble wrap on the preservative.





Next the two hand guards:

 



And lastly the fore-end woodwork





Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: January 09 2018 at 1:59pm
Its nice, but I think I see an imprint of an action is the one showing inside the rear of the forend & even maybe a little inletting at the rear of the barrel channel. Are there also pressure marks above the draws as well?
Still in very nice shape, either way It should "clean up nice"!
That's not a huge amount of cosmo either, my mummy wrap was absolutely slathered with the stuff. It should clean up relatively easily.
Thumbs Up


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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: CanadianBrit
Date Posted: January 09 2018 at 2:23pm
Thanks Shamu  - much appreciated.  I'm thinking of using Linseed oil - would you recommend that?


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: January 09 2018 at 3:02pm
I was born in Pembroke in 1960. Dad was stationed in Petewawa. Moved to Shilo MB. In '65. Both pretty cool places to grow up in!


Posted By: CanadianBrit
Date Posted: January 09 2018 at 3:14pm
You wouldn’t recognize Pet now, we even have a Starbucks!


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: January 09 2018 at 4:33pm
We lived on 6 Caen (St?, Ave?) 50+ years ago but I still remember picking blue berries (not Saskatoons) in the bush, picking button mushrooms in the sports field in the early morning, and walking forever to the beach with my sisters to swim in the Ottawa River.


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: January 09 2018 at 5:13pm
Canadianbrit/Shamu... I've refinished quite a few gunstocks (all makes) in my version of the Old English finish. It is time consuming, but in my mind, worth it. Once old finish/oil is removed, buff wood to a gloss with the finest steel wool. Mix raw linseed oil and terpentine in a 50/50 ratio. Apply a generous coat to wood. Leave over night to allow it to soak in. In the morning, remove excess with a rag (be careful with discarded rags, may have a tendency to burn!!!) There shouldn't be a lot of excess. Rub all wood with your hand until you generate some heat. Then apply another coat and leave over night. Repeat until you think the wood has stopped absorbing mixture. For the final finish, use boiled linseed oil. Use the same process. Again, I do apologize for being long winded, but the end result, in my opinion, is traditional, and something to behold! Thanks!


Posted By: CanadianBrit
Date Posted: January 09 2018 at 5:25pm
This is very timely, as I just removed the cosmoline and I am now leaving the wood overnight as recommended.  I'll have to go buy some raw linseed oil now as I just bought some boiled linseed oil. 

Thanks


Posted By: CanadianBrit
Date Posted: January 09 2018 at 7:20pm
After Photos of my cleaning:




Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: January 10 2018 at 5:40am
Although Raw is the authentic finish I have successfully used boiled in the past. Raw never really 'sets" so the finish is "woody" in texture if you see what I mean.
Turps actually converts Raw to Boiled chemically, so the finish builds up over time & layers to a shiny smooth one.
For a really shiny finish use "Old London Oil" a 50/50 mix of RLO & She!!ac. Bottle a little shake to mix (it never really does, shake like salad dressing) apply  with a pad, buff like heck, leave overnight, wipe down, repeat as needed. Be Careful of the mix & the cloth it can smoulder or even burn, store as is safe.

No1 kIII* with many-many coats of RLO, this is after I dried out some of the excess applied over 100 years or so. "Sweaty wood" is a possible side effect of RLO eventually.


This is my No4 Mk2 stock, which started out as the greasy mummy wrap. Its had the old BLO, "once a day for a week,once a week for a month, once a month for a year, & once a year for life" treatment for a few years now & has oxidized to a (to me beautiful dark honey color with a semi-glossy finish which I like a lot. It retains a "feel of wood", rather than the hard shiny "plastic" finish of modern varnishes.



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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: January 10 2018 at 5:47am
With the gun disassembled, I would recommend at this time also oiling the barrel/receiver channels. Do you agree, Shamu? Might not get the opportunity for a long time!


Posted By: CanadianBrit
Date Posted: January 10 2018 at 5:49am
That Mk4 No2 is fantastic! Just for clarity, if I’m using BLO, do I need to cut it with anything, or apply neat?


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: January 10 2018 at 5:50am
Yes absolutely!
A few coats on the inside will complete the sealing against water or moisture.


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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: CanadianBrit
Date Posted: January 10 2018 at 5:51am
I intended to put a coat or two on the inside anyhow. Thanks for the prompt.


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: January 10 2018 at 5:57am
BLO use as is.
RLO
converts to BLO with turps, or becomes a varnish with the she!!ac mix.

I apply BLO with a 3" (or so) square of an old lint-free T-shirt with 2~3 cotton balls inside. Rub, smear, buff, really work it in there with pressure you need the heat of friction (& you should actually feel it warming when you get it just right) leave overnight, repeat as needed. Wipe off excess.

You'll find its a disconcerting process if you've not done it before!
The first 3~4 coats vanish into the wood instantly. Don't apply a second till the next day.
After 6~8 coats you'll think you botched it up because it'll dry all patchy uneven some glossy & some matte & everything in between. DON't PANIC!

Keep on & it'll all even up after the different wood grain areas become fully loaded.


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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: MJ11
Date Posted: January 10 2018 at 7:39am
Beware of spontaneous combustion of rags and brushes when using BLO/Turpitine mix. Avoid direct sun lite working areas.

A good method for working the mix in is the old spit-shine finger tip in an old sock over several days.

Again dispose of cloth material as with any extreme flammable hazard dangerous waste.

Please post the results and methodology.

.........Cheers..........



..........Thumbs Up...........


-------------
The Spartans do not ask how many the enemies are but where they are


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: January 10 2018 at 9:18am
Does anyone know if the Old London Oil that Shamu mentioned is available in Canada? If not, pity!


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: January 10 2018 at 2:01pm
You can't buy it anywhere as far as I know. You buy the components & make it yourself. Its not hard.
pour a small amount of RLO in a marked container (the disposable plastic cups for medications like NyQuil are perfect) or you can buy the disposable shot glasses from the supermarket. Just fill them both to the same level (about 1/2 way is plenty). now pour both into a small bottle with a cap & shake the heck out of it.


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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: January 10 2018 at 2:41pm
Ok. I now understand. It's the same ratio as my mix but you use she!!ac instead of turpentine and boiled linseed oil instead of raw? Is that correct?


Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: January 10 2018 at 4:22pm
yes coat the inside while apart , my old spiel working from raw wood is once a day for a week -once a week for a year , once a year there after or as required , very thin coats rubbed till warmth is created with soft cotten cloth [the athletic sox is a good suggestion , but - do not overdo the thickness in any single coat you will fight it forever , 

also while apart take a boatload of close up detailed photos for future reference , also document your efforts for our enjoyment 


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: January 11 2018 at 5:42am
Nope its RAW linseed (RLO) . For this to work well you don't want the linseed to dry.

The she!!ac forms the surface gloss & the RLO the internal oiling. The beauty of the combination is that the excess Linseed "floats" on the she!!ac on the surface. What give the high gloss is the interface between the outside of the she!!ac & the inside of the non-miscible linseed, which is real slick & smooth. Overnight dries the she!!ac & you wipe off the surface linseed.!


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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: January 11 2018 at 5:57am
Got it, Shamu! I'm going to use this process on my latest aquisition thanks.


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: January 11 2018 at 8:40am
It's not a 1 coat process, do as many as you need to get the effect you want. In all honesty its a bit too shiny for me.


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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: January 11 2018 at 3:02pm
I suspect the she!!ac makes it shiny. I'm going to use your method on my latest purchase (Parker Hale No 4 Standard) as I think the shiny finish will look good on the sporter. Having refinished several personal Enfields with my above mentioned procedure, in my mind, while taking longer, suits the battle rifle. Matte finish, impervious to weather. Every person has a "look" their going for on these gorgeous guns. Information is knowledge, helping people learn. Thank you!


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: January 11 2018 at 3:21pm
No problem, glad I could offer some choices.


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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)



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